From jwelton@pacific.mps.ohio-state.eduSat Nov 18 13:15:13 1995 Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1995 20:56:54 -0500 (EST) From: Jesse Welton To: Fantasy Rules Committee List Subject: Round 47 Finished I hereby declare the end of Round 47, with Morendil the Winner. Morendil will be the Judge and also the Wizard for Round 48. The final round summary follows. The rule submission times have been corrected to properly (I hope) account for time zone differences, which I quite stupidly forgot to include last time. -Jesse ===== Summary of FRC Round 47 ("A System of Music") ===== Judge: Jesse Welton Wizard: Dug Round Start: 10:00 Nov 6 1995 (All times are EST.) Players: Eligibility: SP: Jeremy Nov 13 10:15 0.0 Ronald Nov 11 10:00 -1.0 Morendil Nov 19 22:37 1.0 -------- (others) Nov 13 10:00 (0) ===== 47:1 From Jeremy (Nov 6 10:15) ===== Judgement: VALID Style: 0.0 -- Rule Start -- > > Professor, enclosed please find a complementary copy of our > newly published textnode. We hope that you find it useful > in the teaching of your classes, and should you desire to > have your students study it in depth we are prepared to offer > quite reasonable rates for the appropriate netkeys. > > =============== > AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 26-TONE MUSIC OF THE ALDEBARANIAN > EMPIRE AND GUIDE TO ITS APPRECIATION BY HUMANS > > BY > > Dr. Harmon E. Lign > Professor of Exomusicology, > Luna Polytechnic Institute > > Published by MacMillion & Co. > London, Paris, New York, Luna, Europa Prime > Copyright, 2469 > =============== > > CHAPTER 1: Basic Definitions and Concepts > > 0 > |---|\--------------0----------{}------------------------- > | | ) 0 {} 0 0# > |---|/----------0--------------{}---------0-0#------------ > | /| 0 ====> {\ 0 0# > |-/-|-------0------------------{*>--0#-------------------- > |( <|\ 0 {/ > |-\-|-)------------------------{}------------------------- > | \|/ <== The 'G-Clef' {} <== The 'Z-Clef' > |---J--------------------------{}------------------------- > > Figure #1: Comparison of musical notation for typical Human > (Western Style) music and that adopted by humans for Aldebaranian > music. Shown is a scale in the key of C in the original form > and transcribed into Z-Clef notation. > > Excercises: > > 1) The rules for study in general are as follows: all submissions > will concern themselves with Aldebaranian music and/or its relationship > with human music. Aldebaranian music may not be represented on > the G-Clef or any other Clef used for human musical notation. > > 2) One of the next three valid rules will explain why Aldebaranian > music is more efficiently represented in the manner shown in > Figure #1 and what this implies about Aldebaranian physiology. > --- Rule End --- Judged VALID. I concur with Dave that while the scale is not a C scale, it is a scale in C. I don't see any other potential legal difficulties with this. (I will be very interested to see what it is about Aldebaranian 26-tone music that makes it more efficient for humans to represent a 7-tone scale more compactly on the Z-Clef, designed to represent the 26-tone scale, than on the G-Clef, designed for the original 7-tone scale. The example given certainly wasn't very enlightening.) Style: 0 While the rules set forth are fine, I think they are hardly appropriate as student exercises in an introductory textnode. Such exercises should also not precede the bulk of the introductory material in any case. ===== 47:2 From Ronald (Nov 6 11:45) ===== Judgement: INVALID Style: 0.5 -- Rule Start -- > Aldabaranian music uses all the Aldabaranian's senses. > The Al's (as they are popularly known) have at least 25 senses. > Professor Lign even enumerates 32 (but who does believe him?) > > Each future Rule shall describe a different Al-sense. > > The 0 and # in musical scores denote two of them, the first > one being the equivalent of our hearing. --- Rule End --- I find this rule INVALID. The phrasing "The 0 and # in musical scores" I interpret as refering to the use of 0 and # in the score in Rule 47:1. Since the Z-Clef score was a transcription of a human scale into (human) notation for Aldebaranian music, and human scales are entirely sound-based, the notation present in the figure must refer only to sound-based components of music. # must therefore not denote a non-hearing sense. Style: 0.5 This was a cute idea. ===== 47:3 From Morendil (Nov 6 15:27) ===== Judgement: VALID Style: 1.0 -- Rule Start -- > It should be noted that, as four-dimensional beings, Aldebaranians > have a perception of Time, and hence of Rythm, radically different > from ours. > > Linguistic studies have tentatively demonstrated that Als perceive > all Time as simultaneous, but have however developed a categorization > which includes three main Temporal Nuances : Timely, Eventual and > Yesterish (as our own inadequate language best renders them). The > Nuances are indicated by distinct diacritical marks. > > The Aldebaranian system of music notation does not, as a consequence, > involve bars, but rather Deployments, which describe the interplay of > Nuance and Harmony for groups of notes not necessarily (but possibly) > simultaneously played. This is usually left to the appreciation of > the performer, but may be specified with additional notation in > modern Aldebaranian music. > > The modern forms are, however, outside the scope of this primer, > but our next chapter will introduce some traditional Aldebaranian > instruments. --- Rule End --- Judged VALID. Style: 1.0 This seems consistent, and it certainly puts an interesting twist on the difficulties humans might have appreciating Aldebaranian music. I like the terminology, too. ===== 47:4 From Ronald (Nov 8 12:41) ===== Judgement: INVALID Style: -1.5 -- Rule Start -- > Lecture notes of a somewhat confused student assisting to one > of Dr. Lign's lectures. The numbers between <> are hyperlinks > to future fantasy rules. > > === > Al instruments: > - Temporal Trumpet <5> > - Yesterish <3> <6> Fiddle > - Aldabaranian Bagpipe > > ==> look up on that one!!!! > > Bagpipe uses wind from famous storms that took place in past (Er?) > Air from storm is inhaled by 2nd Al nose (see Al Physiology <7>), that > is placed at where and when of the storm and exhaled by the first nose > (why does he call that the Present Nose???) > Variations in 4-D bagvolume determine the height and time of the notes. > > Homework: listen to 4th Symphony for Al Bagpipe by M'zuka??? <8> > (missed the name, luckily he gave the link) and write up impressions > (well, to judge from the parts he let us listen to...) --- Rule End --- Judgement: INVALID The reference "Yesterish <3>" is to a past fantasy rule. This is inconsistent with the statement that "numbers between <> are hyperlinks to future fantasy rules." Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be a warkable restriction in this rule. The restrictions placed on future rules in this rule seem to be in the implied requirement that the hyperlinks must be accurate. But what happens if one of the rules so restricted fails to contain the specified information? Even if that rule is declared INVALID, the hyperlink to it in this rule is still inaccurate. (Note that there is no reason *in this rule* to believe that the hyperlinks need only be valid when they point to VALID rules.) This would indicate that either the hyperlinks in this rule need not be completely accurate, or this rule would be rendered INVALID. In the either case, the hyperlinks would effectively have no constraining effect on play. The Homework assignment, if it is intended to be a rule restriction, is too vague to be applied unambiguously. Which rule(s) could it possibly refer to? It could be the next, or 47:9 (which immediately follows the rule link <8>, which the assignment referes to), or all future rules. There is no basis in the rule on which to decide this. Style: -1.5 The placing of restrictions on a handful of rules with particular numbers is IMO not particularly stylish, as the restrictions lose their effect after that rule whether they are met or not.* (And they could be phrased explicitly in some way that would not result in them being without restrictive effect. E.g. "In order to be VALID, rule x:y must...") I suppose I could think of some situations in which I might consider it more stylish, but not here. (* This, in contrast to "the next valid rule must...", which stays in effect until the condition is met.) Given Exercise (2) of 47:1, the hyperlinks would seem to imply (if they worked) that no rule could be VALID until 47:7. You get some bonus for the concept of making these hyperlinks, even if they didn't work. Some more for "Present Nose". It was established in 47:1 that Aldebaranian should be spelled "Aldebaranian", not "Aldabaranian". This was a good portrayal of a confused student, to be sure. I can't decide whether that's good or bad, overall. You do lose points on clarity of intent. ===== 47:5 From Morendil (Nov 12 22:37) ===== Judgement: VALID Style: 0.0 -- Rule Start -- > < transmit a full-sensorium experience of Dr. Lign's lecture on > traditional Aldebaranian music. Be warned that the contents of > this sensenode may be confusing to sentients unsophisticated in > transmodal experience.>> > > >Click< > > "Ahem. Class, I will now present three of the basic instruments of > traditional Al-music. > > This... I'm sorry; I *did* post a notice that all students attending > were required to take their buffer pills. Will someone please assist > the lady in the second row in recovering consciousness ? > > Thank you. This, then, was a rendition of the Simili-Bagpipe. The > resemblance to a courtyard full of male cats in the mating season is > striking, but this instrument is in fact used to delightful effect in > three-Deployment counterpoints of a highly formalized style > reminiscent of Terran minuets. It usually forms the bass line of most > Al-melody. > > The Ssssssssssssssssitar produces four-dimensional white noise and a > strong smell of Cheddar cheese. It is most often used for comical > effect in music for folk dances, and often used in Eventual scales. > Yes, I notice a few of you wrinkling their noses; it is also very > difficult to tune correctly. > > Last but not least, the Prixm, which is perceived only by the Al's > Inversion sense, the effects of which can be easily reproduced in > Terrans by induced synaesthesia. A simple scale of Purple on the > Prixm can be quite delightful, as one tastes all the different > shades. > > Oh, and I will not harp on this, since we have to move on to our next > topic, but it is customary in all Aldebaranian discourse on music to > include a pun on the name of one instrument. Terran scholars usually > try to keep up with that custom. > > >Transmit complete< > --- Rule End --- This certainly appears consistent with previous rules. Although (with 47:2 ruled INVALID) it is not formally established that Aldebaranians have a great many senses, all used in their music, this does not prevent this from being the case. Since I'm accepting multiple Al senses, and we still don't really know much of anything about Aldebaranian scales, I don't see how we can rule out "Eventual scales" or a "scale of Purple". ("Eventual scales" presumably refers to a class of scales characterized by the use of Eventual Nuance in their deployment, rather than any particular set of (generalized) notes.) "Terran scholars usually try to keep up with that custom" is a very weak phrasing of the restriction placed by this rule. Puns are not a particularly interesting requirement, and don't advance the topic of a system of music appreciably, and this costs you on Style points. However, this rule really lightened my day (especially the paragraph on the Ssssssssssssssssitar - hah!), and so I grant you 0.0 points.